Life sentence for 'cold-blooded murder' of Halifax-area pizza delivery man

Halifax man sentenced for murder Randy Riley killed Chad Smith while he was delivering a pizza in Dartmouth.

HALIFAX -- A Halifax man who murdered a pizza delivery man over a longtime grudge has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.

In his decision Wednesday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice James Chipman called it "a cold-blooded murder of a completely defenceless man."

Randy Riley was convicted of second-degree murder last April in the death of 27-year-old Chad Smith.

Smith was killed on the evening of Oct. 23, 2010, while delivering a pepperoni pizza and orange pop in Dartmouth.

He was found with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the upper right side of his body and a red pizza delivery bag nearby.

The trial heard Riley had nursed a grudge against Smith because the victim had allegedly beaten Riley years before.

The judge called it "a truly senseless act," and said the murder devastated Smith's family.

"He was tragically struck down at age 27 without a chance to see his daughters grow up," Chipman told the court.

"Two young girls have lost their father, family members have lost a loved one, a mother is without her life partner and parents have lost a son."

Weeping could be heard in the Halifax courtroom as Smith's younger brother took the stand to deliver a victim impact statement, one of several emotional statements read in court Wednesday.

For more than a minute, Devon Smith sat in front of the courtroom, unable to speak through his tears. He eventually described what he called the worst day of his life.

A teenager at the time, he was home sleeping when he heard loud knocks on the front door.

"I heard police officers introduce themselves and ask if this is where my brother had lived," he said. "I heard my mom jump out of bed, crying in so much pain, begging police officers not to tell her that her son was dead."

He described the "ripple effect" of the murder, saying his family has been nearly destroyed over the devastating killing.

"My parents have since been divorced ... because the grief and stress of losing their first born child was unbearable," he said. He added that watching his two young nieces be told their father was murdered "killed me inside."

Chad Smith's mother, Louise Donnelly, said her son was delivering pizza to earn extra money to support his two young children when he was "ambushed and shot down like an animal."

"This was not God's plan for my son, for my family," she said.

Crown prosecutor Melanie Perry told reporters the Smith family has been waiting nearly nine years for justice.

"It's been excruciating," she said about the impact of the repeated delays on the family because "the defendant kept asking for adjournments."

The conviction carries an automatic life sentence, though Riley will be eligible to apply for parole 15 years after the day of his arrest in July 2013.

However, the judge made it clear that Riley may be subject to a lifetime sentence of imprisonment.

"He may never be released on parole," Chipman said.

"If he is released, it will only be on his satisfactory compliance with whatever conditions the parole board places on him to ensure his respect for a peaceful and safe society."

Still, he said Riley "has prospects for rehabilitation" and that he has completed a number of programs and is currently enrolled in distance sociology courses through Mount St. Vincent University.

Halifax academic and activist El Jones testified she taught Riley at the Nova Scotia Community College, where he was an excellent student and was voted valedictorian of his adult learning program.

While awaiting trial, she said he's been involved with a local educational radio program on issues of black history and has contributed to academic work she's presented at conferences.

Meanwhile, Crown lawyers submitted Riley's correctional records, which include 31 incidents ranging from verbal abuse of staff to possession of a shank, to show "the other side of the coin," Perry said.

Riley has appealed his conviction, and the case is due back in court in May.

Riley expressed his condolences to the family in court, but also took the opportunity to dispute his conviction.

"I want to express the fact that no matter how I feel about the outcome of this verdict, the most important thing here is that your family lost a loved one," he said. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

But he also asked them to "objectively think about what took place at this trial, and ask yourself some serious questions."

"I believe the Crown was not set out seeking justice on your behalf, they set out to win by all means necessary."

In a case with a white victim and a black defendant, Riley added that "the elephant in the room is race."

"No one wanted this case to be about race, but inevitably race it what it has become (about)."

Nathan Johnson, a co-accused in the murder case, was convicted of first-degree murder in a 2015 trial.